Arif Wazir, leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), who died in Islamabad on Saturday

London: While the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan's secret agency -- ISI -- is making full use of the distraction to eliminate prominent Baloch and Pashtun leaders from Sweden to South Waziristan.

A day after the mysterious death of missing Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain in Sweden, Arif Wazir, a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) was shot dead by unidentified armed persons outside his home in Wana, South Waziristan on Saturday.

It is believed that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is behind these coordinated attacks. PTM has been critical of Pakistan's policies in the tribal belt, where a massive operation against terrorists was conducted in recent times leading to large-scale displacement and enforced disappearances. Pakistani forces have been conducting widespread violations of human rights in the area, fully exploiting the world's lack of attention to their misdeeds.

Pakistan army has held the PTM responsible for running an anti-national agenda, whereas the party lead by Manzoor Pashteen is raising the voice against the army's atrocities on the civilians in Pashtun dominated areas.

Pashtun Tahafuz Movement condemned the attack in a tweet saying, "Arif Wazir is the 18th member of Ali Wazir's family to have been killed in a targeted attack. The family has sacrificed far more than most for the nation. Arif was an exceptional political activist and a young leader from South Waziristan. Heart breaking."

A hashtag #StateKilledArifWazir has also been launched on social media. Pashtuns living in Pakistan and Afghanistan have condemned the killing.

Iqbal Rasooli, an entrepreneur in Zurmat area of Afghanistan, tweeted, "Another unfortunate sad loss caused by #ISI criminals. Arif Wazir PTM activist lost his life battling serious injuries. ISI continues to target #Pashtun and #Baloch activist demanding freedom. International community and our allies continue to ignore the issue."

On Thursday -- April 30 -- a prominent Baloch journalist, Sajid Hussain was killed mysteriously in Sweden. The 39-year-old Sajid, Editor-In-Chief of Baluchistan Times, was found dead by the police from a river in Uppsala. He had been missing since March 2.

Sajid left Pakistan in 2012 and had been living as a refugee in Sweden since 2017.

Baloch political activists believe that Sajid was killed for exposing Pakistan army and the ISI for rampant enforced disappearances, torture and killings of political activists, intellectuals, students and journalists in Baluchistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The ISI has clearly gone on the aggressive as it is very unusual for the rogue agency to eliminate dissident Pakistani abroad and that too in the heart of Europe.

The ISI and the military intelligence are making full use of the pandemic to carry out targeted killings unfearful of the consequence as the world is busy saving itself from a dreaded virus.